[FuzzyRussianHat]

1968 was a weak ballot for Beisbol Sudamerica’s Hall of Fame with only one player ultimately getting in. Pitcher Julio Cigala was only narrowly beyond the 66% threshold, but did earn a first ballot nod at 71.4%. RF Nando Gaspar was at 61.5% on his sixth attempt and LF Martyn Jarava was at 60.6% on his fifth. Two others, LF Placido Guerrero and SP Lauro Almeida, were just above 50% on their seventh and sixth attempts, respectively.



Leonardo Velasco was dropped after ten failed ballots and is viewed by many as one of the best players denied a Hall of Fame spot. A six-time Silver Slugger winner at third base, he had 2698 hits, 1118 runs, 465 doubles, 214 home runs, 990 RBI, a .299/.345/.433 slash and 102.3 WAR. Advanced stats, especially that WAR total, makes Velasco seem pretty strong, but he never won MPVP and never made the playoffs, spending most of his career with a weak Guayaquil franchise. He peaked at 47.4% on his third ballot and ended at a shockingly low 10.9%.

Cut from the ballot after ten failed attempts also included SP Saul Jiao, who had a 137-88 record, 1.98 ERA, 2642 strikeouts over 2221.1 innings and 74.6 WAR. Very good numbers over too small a sample size hurt by injuries and low inning totals when healthy. He peaked at 46.3% and ended at 14.0%. Closer Miggy Alemao was also dropped, peaking at 42.8% but ending at 6.5%. He won Reliever of the Year twice and was a part-time starter with a 2.21 ERA, 111-67 record, 184 saves, and 34.5 WAR. He wasn’t a closer enough to get pro-reliever voters to his side. Also worth noting was 2B Adrian Lanzas cut after seven years and falling below 5%. He retired second all-time in walks drawn at 1371 and won three Silver Sluggers at second base with 72.1 WAR. His poor batting average sunk him despite 2156 hits, 1276 runs, 318 home runs, and 914 RBI.



Julio Cigala – Starting Pitcher – Barquisimeto Black Cats – 71.4% First Ballot

Julio Cigala was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed starting pitcher from Barinas, a city of around 350,000 in west central Venezuela. Terrific pinpoint control was Cigala’s biggest strength, allowing him to overcome merely above average stuff and movement. His velocity peaked around 95-97 mph, but he had the rare six pitch arsenal with none amazing, but all respectable. He mixed a fastball, slider, curveball, forkball, changeup, and splitter; making Cigala hard to solve for hitters. He was a good leader with strong stamina and excellent durability, an ironman who made 32+ starts and had 260+ innings in each of his 15 professional seasons.

Cigala was picked second overall in the 1947 Beisbol Sudamerica Draft by Barquisimeto and instantly became a key part of their rotation, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. He wasn’t dominant in his first run with the Black Cats, but very consistent and reliable. Cigala also pitched for Venezuela in the World Baseball Championship from 1949-52, posting a 3.54 ERA over 84 innings with 84 strikeouts. Barquisimeto was a bottom rung franchise in Cigala’s first few seasons and in his sixth year of 1953, he was traded midseason for three prospects to Brasilia.

The Bearcats just missed the playoffs in 1953, then fell off despite Cigala’s efforts in the next two seasons. Cigala led the Southern Cone League in losses despite posting a 7.2 WAR season in 1955, a career best. With Brasilia, he had a 33-44 record, 2.52 ERA, 718 strikeouts in 717 innings, and 15.9 WAR. The 31-year old Cigala went back to Barquisimeto for 1956 on a four-year, $212,000 deal.

Cigala struggled a bit in his return season, but returned to his usual form soon after. By this point, the Black Cats were now competitive and won division titles in 1957 and 1958. In 1957, Cigala won his lone Pitcher of the Year with a 21-11 record, 2.52 ERA, 281.2 innings, 249 strikeouts, 5.2 WAR, and 18 complete games. He never was in the top three any other season. In 1958, Barquisimeto won their first ever Bolivar League title, although Cigala struggled with a 7.36 ERA in 18.1 innings in the run. The Black Cats fell off a bit in 1959 and traded Cigala over the summer to Medellin.

The now 35-year old Cigala was a free agent again after half a season with the Mutiny and signed one more time with Barquisimeto, playing his final three pro seasons with the Black Cats. He had two more solid seasons as the franchise began to rebuild again, then struggled in his final year. Cigala retired after the 1962 season at age 37 and had his #8 uniform retired for more than 3000 innings of service with Barquisimeto

Cigala’s final stats: 218-231, 3.01 ERA, 4218.2 innings, 3873 strikeouts, 635 walks, 324/513 quality starts, 245 complete games, a FIP- of 90 and 76.0 WAR. He would become the first (and as of 2037, the only) Beisbol Sudamerica starting pitcher in the Hall of Fame with a losing record. Although it is obviously a flawed metric skewed by Cigala playing primarily on bad teams, others looked at him as a merely above average pitcher who managed to stick around and earn tenure. But enough voters appreciated his longevity and consistency, allowing Cigala to snag a first ballot induction at 71.4%.